All posts tagged Liam James

In deciding where to set their new film, “The Way, Way Back,” writer-directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash knew they wanted it to be in a coastal town on the East Coast, with access to a water park. But that was it.

Faxon, 37, grew up in the North Shore of Massachusetts, while Rash, 41, was raised in North Carolina. Both had spent an inordinate amount of time at the water park during summers.

They ended up choosing Massachusetts as a setting — but not the North Side that Faxon knew. One of the film’s lead actors, Steve Carell, summers in Marshfield, Mass., on the South Shore. “As a way to lure him in, we offered to shoot it where his family was going to be,” Faxon said. “He said yes, and we literally shot in his backyard.” Read More »

In a summer packed with the usual action and superhero fare, the coming of age comedy-drama “The Way, Way Back” offers moviegoers a sweet escape.

The Journal’s Wendy Bounds conducted a live interview with members of the cast of “The Way, Way Back,” including actress Toni Collette, actor Liam James, director/writer/actor Nat Faxon, and director/writer/actor Jim Rash. It’s the latest installment of our series of Bryant Park Breakfast Briefings.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself when you were 14 years old?

Jim Rash, the co-writer and co-director of “The Way, Way Back,” when pestered by his stepfather at that age, ranked himself a six. His stepfather rated him a three. That conversation became the basis of the film, starring Rash, Steve Carrell, AnnaSophia Robb and Liam James and distributed by Fox Searchlight. Like The Wall Street Journal, Fox Searchlight is owned by News Corp.

A coming-of-age story that takes place over summer vacation, James plays an awkward teenager, Duncan, who’s coping with his mother’s (Toni Collette) divorce. She’s already dating another man, Trent, (Carrell) and has arranged for the three of them to spend a couple months at his beach house. The local water park, “Water Wizz,” becomes Duncan’s refuge and a place where he discovers himself and a group of unlikely friends.

Speakeasy has an exclusive clip from the film, which takes place at the water park and features Duncan attempting to impress a girl (Robb) only to be interrupted by his bosses.

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.